Internal electrode fiber polarization controller

With the growing importance of optics in access and metro networks, the need for inexpensive high-performance optical components becomes more acute. One of the essential functions required is polarization control. Manually, motorized or piezoelectric actuated controllers exist in the market, based on the stress induced in the fiber by an external element. In this paper, we present the principles and performance of a polarization controller based on the stress induced by an internal current driven electrode. Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used for implementing a 2×2 fiber switch.